Ryan's 2008 College Football Predictions: Part 1

Jimson Cuenta over in the College Football part of town has inspired me. After reading—rather, skimming and rolling my eyes—his college football predictions, I felt I had to do one of my own.

This will cover the rankings with a brief explanation for the ranking. Then, in future articles, I will delve into a week-by-week breakdown with an updated top 15 as well as featured games for that week. And no, Hawaii will not be featured every week.

So here we go!

No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs:The Bulldogs grab the top spot because of tremendous depth and talent, though the schedule is always a minefield.

No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners:The emergence of Sam Bradford last season gives OU a myriad of weapons. If they can get past their usual letdown game, they could be on their way to a crystal trophy.

No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes:OSU is the odds-on favorite to win the Big Ten this year and if they can go into the Coliseum in September and beat USC, they'll be on the fast track to a third National Title game.

No. 4 Florida Gators:A young defense has grown up, and talent has never been an issue in the Swamp. As is the problem with most SEC teams, the schedule is the key.

No. 5 USC Trojans:The Trojans are breaking in a new quarterback, but with the starters returning on a dominant defense, that person will have plenty of time on the field to get comfortable in the system.

No. 6 West Virginia Mountaineers:Despite the departure of coach Rich Rodriguez, WVU appears ready to take advantage of a weak Big East schedule with their explosive offense, led by Pat White and Noel Devine.

No. 7 Clemson Tigers:Always a tantalizing pick, the Tigers are looking to finally break through. An Aug. 30 matchup with Alabama will set the tone.

No. 8 Missouri Tigers:

Heisman finalist Chase Daniel returns to lead the defending Big 12 North champions in their pursuit of greener pastures—and he's looking for a big bronze trophy to go with it.

No. 9 LSU Tigers:The defending BCS Champions return plenty of talent and should be a very good team, but the big question remains at quarterback. If they don't resolve the situation early, things could get rough with that SEC gauntlet.

No. 10 Texas Tech Red Raiders:With arguably the most explosive offense in all the land, the Red Raiders could be the surprise of the Big 12. If the defense can step up it's game, Tech could go very far.

No. 11 Auburn Tigers:Like many other teams, Auburn needs to settle its quarterback situation. The schedule may turn out to be favorable with LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas all visiting Jordan-Hare Stadium.

No. 12 Texas Longhorns:Always one of the nation's most talented teams, the roadblock for the Horns this year could turn out to be the schedule. Aside from their Red River Shootout with Oklahoma, they also play Texas Tech, Kansas and Colorado on the road as well as hosting Mizzou and Texas A&M.

No. 13 BYU Cougars:This could be a special year for the Cougars. Returning one of the nation's most explosive offenses will be a huge part of any potential success. Their Nov. 22 meeting with Utah could prove to be a battle of the BCS Busters.

No. 14 Arizona State Sun Devils:A tremendous offense and a potentially revamped defense should spell trouble for ASU opponents, but a brutal stretch featuring Georgia, Cal, USC and Oregon will show us the real ASU.

No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers:Despite the Buckeyes status as favorites, don't sleep on the Badgers. With a plethora of good backs leading their offense, it should help the team ease into a new quarterback. Most of all, Brett Bielma always has his team playing hard and tough.